Foreign minister defends expenditure on overseas trips

Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid on Wednesday defended the expenditure on numerous overseas trips undertaken since he assumed the post in November.

Appearing in parliament for minister’s question time, Shahid told lawmakers that the trips were necessary to repair diplomatic relations that were damaged during the previous administration, which he heavily criticised for “isolating” the Maldives in the international community.

Responding to a question about expenses, Shahid said he has travelled to 19 countries on official visits, during which he met with the the presidents of seven countries, the prime ministers of six countries, the foreign ministers of 33 countries and other officials from 48 countries.

The cost of the trips was MVR7.5 million (US$485,760) from the foreign ministry’s travel budget, he said.